Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025) (Percent) in South Korea
South Korea: Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025) (Percent) was 24.32 in 2031. ▲ Rising
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in South Korea, 1995–2031
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 24.32 for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in 2031.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Korea peaked at 26.68 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 13.51, in 1995.
That places South Korea 17th out of 26 countries with data for 2031, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025) (Percent) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 13.51 | — |
| 1996 | 14.04 | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 13.87 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 16.03 | +15.6% |
| 1999 | 16.15 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 16.02 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 16.94 | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 15.89 | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 17.87 | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 18.5 | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 18.15 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 18.72 | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 18.81 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 19.1 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 19.54 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 17.86 | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 18.28 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 18.82 | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 19.02 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 18.85 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 18.8 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 18.51 | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 18.64 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 19.28 | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 21.27 | +10.3% |
| 2020 | 23.66 | +11.2% |
| 2021 | 24.1 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 26.68 | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 23.08 | -13.5% |
| 2024 | 22.53 | -2.4% |
| 2025 | 23.99 | +6.5% |
| 2026 | 25.23 | +5.2% |
| 2027 | 24.38 | -3.4% |
| 2028 | 24.39 | +0.0% |
| 2029 | 24.34 | -0.2% |
| 2030 | 24.34 | -0.0% |
| 2031 | 24.32 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 24.32 is below the median for high income countries, which is 37.53, 65% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 24.32 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.32, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.72 | 13.51 | 16.15 | 5 |
| 2000s | 17.95 | 15.89 | 19.54 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.93 | 17.86 | 21.27 | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.24 | 22.53 | 26.68 | 10 |
| 2030s | 24.33 | 24.32 | 24.34 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More public sector data for South Korea
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 222.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 19.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 362.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Korea?
- Expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in South Korea was 24.32 in 2031, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 26.68 in 2022.
- What is the lowest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.51 in 1995.
- How does South Korea rank for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp?
- South Korea ranks 17th out of 26 countries with data for 2031.
- Is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format.